


i don't care what happens (so long as i'm with you)

by SilverMoonSky



Series: Adrinette April 2020 [25]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette April 2020, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Bittersweet, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Forbidden Love, In which Adrien's a prince, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Marinette is a baker's daughter, Plagg actually gives out advice, Plagg and Tikki are humans here, Supportive Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), aka one of my favorite tropes, royal au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:54:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23920033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMoonSky/pseuds/SilverMoonSky
Summary: Adrien desperately wants to confess to Marinette, but there are certain factors holding him back. But with a few words of encouragement, he realizes it's something he has to do.Written for Day 29: Memories for Adrinette April.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Adrinette April 2020 [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1685854
Comments: 15
Kudos: 177





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, a little background: in this AU, Adrien's a prince, and Marinette's a villager. They know each other because Marinette's father is a famous baker, resulting in constant visits to the palace where Mari would tag along. Adrien and Marinette basically grew up together as best friends, and as they got older, started falling in love. But well, you know. One is royalty, the other isn't, and that creates problems. Which is where this oneshot comes from :D
> 
> Hope you enjoy! :)

“I’ll see you later,” Marinette said quietly. She started to turn away.

“Wait!” Adrien grabbed her wrist. “Mari, I--”

“It’s best if we don’t spend too much time together,” she interrupted, snatching her hand away from him. “Really, Ad--Your Highness. We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Who says we can’t?” Adrien whispered. A pang of hurt went through him when she didn't call him by name.

Marinette simply shook her head. “You know what I’m talking about,” she murmured.

_ No I don’t, _ he wanted to scream, but Adrien knew better than that. He knew perfectly well what Marinette was referencing; he just didn't want to admit it.

“I still think we should--”

“ _ Your Highness, _ ” Marinette said firmly. Adrien flinched. “Whatever this is between us, it’s not going to happen. Just--” she suddenly broke off and stared at her feet. “Just please accept that.” With that, she dipped into a curtsy before quickly making her way out of the gardens.

Adrien watched her leave with nothing but anguish in his expression. “Mari. . . .” he weakly called, but it was of no avail. Marinette didn't even turn back.

_ This can’t be happening. _

He felt himself stumble backwards and sink down onto a bench. He buried his face against his hands, tears threatening to roll down his cheeks as he heaved in a deep breath.

_ I didn't even get a chance to confess. _

The thought hit him like a slap in the face. Adrien couldn’t believe himself; the one moment he’d desperately wanted, the one moment he’d been yearning to recreate outside of his imagination, had been ruined. And of course, he was the one that ruined it for himself.

The plan had been simple enough. Adrien had invited his childhood friend to take a stroll in the gardens with him, like they did a lot when they were younger. Marinette had been hesitant, but he insisted, and so she came. They talked. They laughed. They grinned so hard he was sure he would never be able to frown again. The entire time, Adrien had been nervous. He was waiting for the right moment to confess his feelings for her.

And that moment did finally come. As the two of them sat at a bench, staring at the fountain as the sun slowly sank in the sky, Adrien carefully started to articulate his thoughts.

That had been where everything went downhill. Even if he hadn’t explicitly stated it, Adrien knew Marinette had picked up on what he was about to say; of course she did. Often, she knew him better than he knew himself. In an instant, her demeanor had changed. Marinette was quick to get up and insist that she shouldn’t be there, that he had better things to do than spend time with her, that he shouldn’t be needlessly calling her here for pointless hangouts.

And then, when he still refused to listen, she pulled the “Your Highness” card on him.

Really, Marinette knew how much he hated being called that. It was the moment Adrien realized he’d crossed a line in their carefully orchestrated friendship. Everything fell apart. Marinette ran off, and he was now sitting there, heartbroken, wistfully thinking about the things that could have happened if he’d been able to finish his sentence.

Adrien could hope. But that hope wouldn’t stop him from sinking into the cold, harsh water called reality. He knew the truth; the real reason Marinette had run off was not because of what he was about to confess--after all, it was obvious she felt the same way about him that he did about her--but because of the situation. She was a baker’s daughter. He was a prince. And, according to his father, the king, he was destined to marry a princess.

His heart clenched at the thought. There was only one person he’d ever thought of marrying, and it just so happened that she was also the one person he could never be with. But really. Who else did he have if Marinette shut him out? Who else made his heart race like she did? Who else made him smile and laugh? Who else had been there for him nearly his entire life?

Memory after memory flooded Adrien’s mind. Marinette had been there for him during some of the hardest moments of his life. When his mother had passed away, she’d been by his side. She always made him feel as though he was more than just a prince, more than just a pretty face that was going to someday take care of an entire kingdom. She introduced him to some of her own friends, people whom he now considered some of his closest friends.

Adrien hadn’t noticed when the platonic love he felt for her slowly shifted into romantic feelings, but once he started falling, he couldn’t stop. Every single day he found another reason to love her more than he already did, and soon, she was the only person on his mind. She became the only person that could get him through rough days, the only person that kept him awake at night.

He  _ loved _ her. And no matter what rules there were, he just couldn’t deny it any longer.

“Hey kid,” a voice suddenly said. Adrien’s head shot up to see Plagg, one of his advisors, sitting down beside him. “What’s with the long face?”

Adrien was acutely aware that there were tears streaming down his face, he was an emotional wreck, and if anyone else saw, there would definitely be a scandal. But this was Plagg. He could trust him.

“It’s nothing really,” he whispered, wiping away the tears.

The short man let out a snort. “If it were nothing, you wouldn’t be sitting on this bench crying.”

That got a small laugh out of him. “I guess.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with Pigtails, does it?” Plagg asked.

His eyes widened. “How did you--”

“I saw her before I came here,” he said. “She was a mess. Did you break her heart or something?”

“No!” Adrien exclaimed loudly. He lowered his voice. “I mean, I don’t think so. Or maybe I did.” He thought about it. “Yeah, I probably did.”

“What happened?” Plagg asked softly.

Adrien glanced at him in surprise. “What?”

“Don’t you wanna talk about it?”

“Oh,” Adrien said. “I uh, yeah, I guess.”

“Hurry up then,” Plagg grumbled. “I don’t have all day.”

Normally, Plagg was notorious for his scathing tongue. Adrien couldn’t recall the last time he’d had a conversation with his advisor that hadn’t ended with a scolding of the sort. Not that he minded; he’d known Plagg for as long as he could remember, and they had a solid relationship. But the fact that he was actually  _ listening  _ to Adrien was a first. 

So he decided to take advantage of his attention. Adrien slowly began to explain to him everything that happened today: of how he invited Marinette for a walk, about how he was going to confess--Plagg already knew of his feelings for her--about how everything was going perfect until he slipped up, and that it was where things went horribly wrong.

“I love her, Plagg,” Adrien said, “I really do. But I have no idea what to do about it, especially since Mari keeps pushing me away every time I try to bring it up.”

Plagg’s face remained expressionless throughout his entire rant, but now he turned to glance at the young prince with--was that affection?--in his gaze. “And why do you think she keeps pushing you away?”

“Huh?”

“Do you know who Tikki is, Adrien?” Plagg suddenly asked.

“Um, you’ve mentioned her a couple of times.” Adrien cocked his head. “Why?”

His advisor suddenly seemed wistful. “Tikki is the woman I’m in love with. You see, the thing about her is that she always drew the line at friendship, no matter how many times I told her I loved her romantically. I knew she felt the same way, but she deliberately chose to push me away.”

_ Kind of like Marinette and I, _ Adrien thought to himself. He gestured to Plagg to continue.

“It took me a long time to figure out why,” Plagg said. “But the reason she kept pushing me away was simple: she didn't want to lose the bond we already had. She was afraid if we took the next step, that our relationship might not make it.”

“Oh,” Adrien breathed. “That. . . . that makes a lot of sense. But then what happened? Did you and Tikki end up together?”

Plagg shook his head sadly. “We’re still friends, and we both love each other. But we’re nothing more than that.”

“That’s awful,” Adrien murmured.

Plagg shook his head. “It’s not that bad. That’s just the way it worked out for us. But it’s a little different for you and Marinette,” he added. “I know she’s afraid of taking the next step, but it’s also because you’re the crown prince. She doesn’t want to get in the way of that.”

“I’d give up my title for her in a heartbeat,” Adrien whispered. “She knows that.”

“And that’s exactly what she doesn’t want you to do,” Plagg pointed out.

“But then what do I do?”

Plagg shrugged. “Just confess.”

Adrien gaped at him. “Isn’t that literally what I just tried to do?”

“Do it the simple way, kid. Just go up to her and tell her that you love her.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Adrien muttered, suddenly wondering why in the world he decided to ask Plagg for advice.

“You attempted some elaborate plan, kid,” Plagg said. “Marinette’s a simple girl. You can only sort things out by talking to her.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Adrien said.

“Of course it does.” Plagg stood up and gave him a rare smile. “Now go catch up to her. I guarantee she hasn’t left yet.”

Adrien bit his lip. “But what if she doesn’t want to talk to me? What if I already broke her heart? What if--”

“Kid,” Plagg interrupted, “you’re never gonna know unless you have a heart-to-heart with her.”

Adrien smiled at him. “Thanks Plagg,” he said. “That really helps.”

“Don’t thank me just yet,” he said. “And, Adrien?”

“Yeah?”

“Whatever you do, don’t let her go,” Plagg said. “Life is too short for that.”

Adrien launched himself to his feet and threw his arms around his advisor. Plagg grunted, but begrudgingly hugged him back. “Thank you,” he whispered before stepping away.

“Now go,” Plagg ordered, pushing him towards the direction Marinette had left.”

“I’m going,” Adrien said, and with that, he made his way towards the love of his life with only one thought in his mind: to confess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second part of this will be up for tomorrow's prompt :) Also, I personally headcanon that Plagg (when he's human) and Adrien have an uncle-nephew relationship, which is what I tried to bring out here.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien finally confesses.
> 
> Written for Day 30: Ice Cream for Adrinette April.

He ended up rushing through the gardens, going past the horse stables, and startling several palace guards during his search. Finally, he found Marinette making her way towards the gates that would lead her back to the village.

“Marinette!” Adrien called, running up to her.

She turned around, startled. “Adrien?”

The first stars were slowly starting to twinkle in the sky. The two of them were alone, surrounded by a swath of trees; Adrien knew no one would eavesdrop on them here. He took a deep breath. If he wanted to confess, he had to do it before it was too late.

“I need to talk to you.”

Marinette let out a sigh. “I thought I already said that--”

“I love you.”

Time seemed to slow in that exact moment. Adrien’s heart thumped faster and faster as Marinette’s head whipped up. Her bluebell eyes seared into his skin as she stared at him in shock.

“What?”

Adrien walked up to her and took her hands in his. To his surprise, she didn't pull away. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I do too.” Marinette’s gaze was astonishingly fierce as she met his eyes with her own. “As a friend.”

“You know I don’t mean it like that,” he said softly.

She suddenly looked away from him. “You’re my best friend, Adrien,” she said, “that’s all.”

“But what if what I feel for you is more than that?”

“It shouldn’t be.”

“But it is.” Adrien smiled at her. “And who says I can’t?”

“The kingdom. Your father. Everyone.”

He let out a dry laugh. “I could care less about what everyone thinks. I love  _ you _ . I love your smile, I love your laugh, I love the way I feel whenever you’re around, I love that you’re always here for me.” Adrien felt tears pricking the corners of his eyes, but he continued. “I love everything about you. I love you as more than a friend, Mari. I don’t want to lose you.”

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut and took her hands away from his. “You shouldn’t be feeling this way,” she croaked. “You know that.”

“And I don’t care.” He glanced up at the stars. “I don’t care what happens so long as I’m with you.”

“Adrien, be reasonable,” she protested. “I’m a villager. You’re a prince. We shouldn't have even gotten this close in the first place. It’s bad enough that people in the palace give us weird looks already. If--if we went through with a relationship, what would happen?”

“The same as usual,” he said. “The looks. The stares. Don’t tell me you aren’t used to it.”

“It would be even worse!” Marinette exclaimed. “And do you really think that I--” she suddenly broke off, seeming embarrassed.

“That you could what?”

“Do you really think,” she whispered, “that if we got that far, I would be able to help rule a kingdom?”

He felt his cheeks flush at her implication. “We could try.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think it’s worth it.”

Adrien felt the hope he’d originally felt slowly fading away. “Is this your way of telling me that you don’t feel the same way?”

“What? No! I just--I mean--”

“Please tell me the truth, Mari,” he said.

Marinette seemed to be at a loss for words. “I. . . .”

“ _ Please _ .” He was begging now, but he didn't care. He just wanted an answer.

She hesitated slightly before walking back up to him and gently cupping his cheek with one hand. Adrien’s heartbeat quickened; he didn't dare breathe. Marinette’s gaze searched his face. She finally seemed to settle at looking into his eyes.

“I love you too,” she whispered. “I love you as more than a friend, Adrien. I have for the longest time.”

His breath caught in his throat. “But then why--”

She put a finger to his lips, effectively shutting him up. Adrien felt a warm blush spread across his face.

“I don’t know when I started falling for you,” she said quietly. “But now I know that I’ve always loved you as more than a friend. You’ve always meant more to me than I wanted you to. We’ve grown up together, ever since that day you accidentally dropped ice cream all over me. You’ve been there for me whenever I needed you, you’re the only person I’ve never gotten tired of being around, you--you’re just  _ you. _ No one else can ever be you. And I--” her voice cracked. “I love you for that.”

Silence fell between them just as darkness encased the night. Adrien was sure there were tears streaming down his cheeks now, but he didn't care. He wanted to cry, because she. . . . she  _ loved _ him. That was all he’d ever wanted.

“Adrien?” Marinette whispered. “Are you okay?”

“You love me,” he said.

“Yeah.” Marinette laughed softly and gently brushed away his tears. “I do.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “But if you’ve felt that way all along, why didn't you say anything?”

“We shouldn’t be acting on these feelings,” she said. “You know that.”

“But what if I don’t care?” Adrien put his hand over hers, and his gaze slowly traveled to her lips.

“You should.” Marinette blushed when she saw where he was staring.

“I know,” he murmured, “but I don’t.”

Simultaneously the two of them moved forward. Marinette reached up on her toes as Adrien leaned down and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and closing his eyes, he pressed his lips against hers.

It was just supposed to be a soft, gentle peck. Adrien started to pull back when Marinette’s fingers weaved in his hair and pulled him closer against her, deepening the kiss. He couldn’t help but comply, and the two of them continued to move closer and closer, letting themselves explore parts of them they never had before.

When they finally pulled away, Adrien rested his forehead against hers and whispered, “we can make this work.”

“How?” Marinette asked breathlessly.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But we need to try. And don’t say you don’t want that,” Adrien added when Marinette opened her mouth to protest. “I know you do.”

“I may want it,” she murmured, “but that doesn’t mean it should happen.”

“All I want, my lady,” Adrien said, “is for you to be by my side. I don’t care what else happens in the future. That’s all I want.”

“Adrien--”

“Are you willing to take a chance?”

It was silent. Adrien held his breath, knowing that this was the very moment that would determine his entire future, because gosh, he  _ loved _ her. He loved her more than he ever thought was possible. He wanted to have a future with her. He wanted to stay by her side and grow up with her, perhaps to someday marry her, have children, and grow old together. . . .

Fantasies upon fantasties swirled throughout Adrien’s mind, but he knew they would all be in vain if this moment didn't go as planned.  _ One _ word. That was all he needed to hear. All Marinette needed to say was. . . .

“Yes,” she finally whispered.

And that was all the reassurance he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~if you couldn't already tell, I'm inexperienced at writing kiss scenes, which is why this one sucks lol~~
> 
> And that's the end of Adrinette April! For those of you that have read everything I wrote (or even just one fic), thank you so much! This is the most I've written in a long time, and all the comments and kudos means a lot to me. I'm going to be writing for Marichat May too, so be sure to check out those fics too :)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed :D


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